A HISTORICAL INTERROGATION ON ‘BUDA-RELATED' AILMENTS IN WALLO

This article looks at the nexus between the indigenous cosmology and the different healing techniques that had been utilized to prevent and treat ailments caused by the evil-eye in Wallo, Ethiopia. In particular, it examines the existential and ingrained belief in buda-caused illnesses within the wider context of the history of Wallo. The study also shows how indigenous preventive and therapeutic modalities survived for several centuries, along with their role in explaining the inexplicable misfortunes that befell individuals whose suffering was believed to have emanated from the injurious stare of fellow human beings who were labelled as evil-eyed persons or buda in local parlance. Although noxious spiritual powers were held responsible for most human illnesses, the pervasive nature and purported capability of the buda as one of the causal agents of ill-health and death among the general public deserves closer examination. Documenting the history of the buda-complex contributes to our understanding of the indigenous belief system/s and the various methods applied in diagnosing and treating them and the various healing traditions being espoused and applied in Wallo. The study makes use of secondary written materials as well as primary sources, mainly manuscripts and oral informants.